This Is Why Aeroplane Windows Are Rounded
发布时间:2019年02月01日
吴漪妮 译  

This Is Why Aeroplane Windows Are Rounded

飞机舷窗为何是圆形的


By Mollie Goodfellow

文/莫丽·古德费勒


While not everyone will have pondered the subject while staring out of the window during a flight, the question as to why aeroplanes have circular windows rather than square ones is interesting.


在飞行过程中,许多人都喜欢眺望窗外,欣赏云海。但并非每个人都会思索这样一个问题,那就是,为什么舷窗是圆形的而不是方形的。这个问题很有趣。


Over the years, aerospace engineering has made huge leaps in aeroplane technology, meaning planes can carry more passengers and go faster. The planes have also changed shape to increase safety – including the windows.


多年来,航空航天工程在飞机技术上已经取得了长足的进展,这意味着飞机不仅在搭载人数上有所增加,而且在飞行速度上也有所提高。同时,为了提高飞机的安全性,飞机在外形上也做出了相应的改变。舷窗,便是变化之一。


In the 1950s, when jetliners were starting to become mainstream, the De Havilland Comet[1] came into fashion. With a pressurised cabin, it was able to go higher and faster than other aircraft.


20世纪50年代,喷气式客机开始成为主流,德·哈维兰“彗星”客机便是当时的主要机型。增压座舱的诞生使得喷气式飞机可以比其他飞机飞得更高更快。


[1] 德·哈维兰“彗星”客机,由英国哈维兰公司研发,于1949年出厂的喷气民航客机,是世界上第一种以喷气发动机为动力的民航客机。


However, the plane had square windows and in 1953 two planes fell apart in the air, killing 56 people in total.


然而,该机型舷窗是方形的,1953年,该机型两架客机在空中解体坠毁,共造成56人死亡。

 

The reason for the crashes? The windows. 


悲剧发生的原因是什么?答案是:舷窗。


Where there’s a corner, there’s a weak spot. Windows, having four corners, have four potential weak spots, making them likely to crash under stress – such as air pressure.


哪里有拐角,哪里就有弱点。方形舷窗有四个角,就有着四个潜在的薄弱点,使它们很可能在大气压等压力作用下破裂。


By curving the window, the stress that would eventually crack the window corner is distributed and the likelihood of it breaking is reduced.


因此,让窗缘线条弯曲,来分散窗口四角的压力,从而大大降低了窗户破碎的可能性。


(译者单位:天津外国语大学滨海外事学院)